Dragon Scent
by Marshmallow Ninja
Summary: Fiore High is one of the best academies in all of Magnolia. But when Makarov receives a letter from the Council saying they don't like some things, he is forced to do what he must. Can Lucy survive in the Boys Campus. . .as a guy? Rewrite; slight AU. Natsu x Lucy.


**A/N: **Look! Look who's alive! After so long. x)

Anyway, just a tiny bit before you go on reading. Everything else will be on the bottom A/N.

A buttload of thanks to my dear Ink, my wonderful beta and best friend, who helped me transform my old first chapter in the original into this bomb. Love you, babu! :3

Thanks to TheSilverWisp too, for helping me keep the characters in check and not OOC since I haven't been keeping up. :)

Okay, go on with the chapter, since I wouldn't want to keep you waiting. Oh. One more thing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, but this _is _my story and plotline. Besides, if I owned Fairy Tail, I wouldn't be posting this here, correct?

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**Chapter One: Fiore High**

* * *

_Beep beep beep._

Lucy Heartfilia, blonde, busty, and utterly groggy, rubbed her eyes and slapped a hand on her alarm clock. She had just gotten it the other day, but she immediately deemed it rather worthless; there were far more noiseless ways to get up in the morning. She swung her long legs off her comfortable bed and headed into the bathroom, eyes still heavy. This was the price she paid for constantly wanting to be early.

After soaking herself in warm, bubbly water for thirty minutes, she decided it was time to head off. Plastering a smile on her face as she tied part of her hair in a blue ribbon, one of her spirits, Plue, popped out from under the dressing table. With his wobbly knees and ice cream cone-like nose, Lucy found him just adorable.

"Come on, we can't be late again," smiled Lucy, bending down to pick the little 'dog' up. The creature merely gave a noncommittal "Plue" in response.

The walk to Fiore High was always easy. It was never too hot and it proved to be good morning exercise for Lucy. It usually took less than fifteen minutes for her to get there, and no one bothered her—it would mean she could get lost in her thoughts for a bit. Ah, the joys of Fiore—the thought of it always made her smile. She loved her academy with fervor. She pushed open the marble entrance gate and entered the wonder that was her school.

Fiore High was one of the most prestigious, exclusive academies in all of Magnolia. Of course, it was expected, because it was a school for the selected individuals of generations. Turning to her side to check if her companion was still skipping next to her and hadn't wandered off or turned into a puddle of water, she realized Plue had disappeared back into the Spirit World.

Trees swayed in the gentle breeze and the ivory painted walls shone in the faint morning sunlight. The concrete pavement was decorated with crisply fallen leaves. The academic building was huge, but at this hour deserted, with janitors as the only people present. Lucy entered the soundless building, her footsteps permeating the stinging silence. She opened the door to her homeroom classroom and instantly, the door directly across it burst open with a gunshot-like sound.

Thankfully it was only Erza, holding up her sword in defense. Lucy clutched her heaving chest.

"E-Erza!" she said, sighing in relief. "You scared me. Why are you here?"

Erza Scarlet looked at the blonde pointedly before stowing her weapon in its sheath. "I could ask you the same question, although you're always relatively punctual." She flipped her red tresses over her shoulder. "Principal Makarov told me to take watch overnight, thinking the incident last week would repeat itself tonight. Though I guess he was quite mistaken." They smiled at each other, and there was a faint set of footsteps that followed. Erza made to whip out her sword again, but Lucy held her arm.

"Lu-chan?" a voice asked apprehensively, and a blue-haired friend appeared at the doorway.

"Levy-chan!" exclaimed Lucy, walking over to the blunette to give her a hug in greeting. Levy McGarden patted Lucy's back.

"The sun's starting to rise. How about we go outside for some sunlight, hmm? I heard the morning sunlight's very good for the skin." Levy smiled, pulling both girls out of the classroom.

* * *

_Dear Mr. Makarov,_

_We are sorry to say that we no longer approve of Fiore High's dual campuses. Both you and your students have not abided by our rules and regulations, and, therefore, we have no choice but to close down the two schools to prevent any further mishaps. Unless you stand by your choice to keep the schools open, you must conserve work time and lot space by merging both institutions. If you do not abide, then, in approximately two months, we shall proceed with the demolition of both campuses and the removal of Fiore from our list of educational institutions. If you wish to save Fiore, you must change it to become a coeducational school._

_You have eight weeks._

_Sincerely,_

_The Council_

Makarov rubbed his temples, throwing the letter on his desk in frustration. Yes, he had decided to create Fiore High when he was younger. And yes, the decision to separate the school into two different lots was part of his plan—one campus for boys, one campus for girls. He thought it would be very convenient and secure—no perverted young men, no stalker-like young women. Yes, he thought it would suit both genders very well if they did not grow up with each other. . .

But apparently, his decision was the wrong one to make.

The Council disapproved of it. Now, he had no choice. After all, Fiore High was a school for the gifted, for the selected generations that withheld magical abilities—he couldn't put all that work and all those people to waste. And after his students had gone through enough training, they would form a guild; the strongest guild in all of Magnolia: Fairy Tail. Only the most skilled and exemplary trained students of Fiore High would become the mages of his guild. So of course, they all needed the proper training before that. . .

Makarov never dreamed that he would be forced to allow the two genders to coerce into one school. He had always envisioned that they would study and train first, away from each other, and when it was finally time for them to leave Fiore High and enter Fairy Tail, they would mingle—when they would be much more mature.

But again, this was another wrong decision. He had to come up with a solution that would save his school. Shuffling the papers on his desk, he wondered how they would take the news.

_Speaking of the boys campus,_ mused Makarov, leaning against his cozy chair, _I wonder how Laxus is fairing with them . . ._

* * *

"Dragneel! I need twenty-five more push-ups!" barked Laxus. "Fullbuster, you're not trash-picking fast enough! You men won't be fit to graduate from Fiore High if you don't do as I say!" The students of Fiore High's Boys Campus grumbled in discontent. However, aforementioned Dragneel yawned, nibbling flames off a stick he had lit from the nearby pile of burnt leaves. Laxus raised his eyebrows at him.

"Dragneel, are you asking for fifty more?" he asked in a controlled voice.

"Shouldn't we be training?" Natsu Dragneel asked, looking bored. "I feel like learning some new fighting techniques."

A few males mumbled in assent, but Laxus's expression only seemed more pointed.

"You have enough of those when Gramps is around," Laxus said airily, waving a dismissive hand. "This is something different."

There was an uproar of dissent in the crowd, and someone lunged at Laxus.

"FIGHT!" someone yelled, and soon a brawl broke out. It was complete chaos—friend or foe, they battled with fists.

"No one is manlier than me!" Elfman bellowed, picking up three males with one arm and swinging them over his shoulder. Natsu and Gray were having their regular go at each other, while Laxus was trying to control the students again. After a few minutes, however, when Laxus decided to ultimately give up, the fight dissolved.

"Alright," Laxus breathed, "everyone get back to their assigned tasks or I swear, I _will _tell Gramps to adjust your curfew."

At the mention of their curfew, everyone broke into a run, finding their supplies and bumping into one another. Natsu rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

"Nice going there, flamebrain," muttered Gray Fullbuster, quickly taking off his white polo, a strange habit of his. He bent over to pick up some trash as Natsu began doing his push-ups.

The pink-haired boy scowled. "I can't stand this, stripper! I'm definitely complaining when Gramps gets back. We're supposed to be learning magic, and how exactly is this helping us? This is already turning us into some kind of—"

"Fullbuster! Dragneel! Quit the talking and get back to work."

The two looked at each other darkly, sharing the same mutual feeling.

* * *

"This is amazing, Erza!" Lucy squealed excitedly later that afternoon. She ran a finger across a silken ribbon. Erza nodded stiffly.

"I had the streamers shipped," she said, cutting a meter-long ribbon in half. "The pieces of furniture are all custom-made by one of the best carpenters here in Magnolia. I do hope this event goes well."

Lucy dug her spoon into her vanilla ice cream, looking around the grounds. It was beautifully decorated—paper lanterns hung around the air, with the silk-like ribbons dangling. The fine tables were being covered with patterned cloth, where delicious-smelling food was to be placed on.

"This year's school festival is going to be the best, Erza!" exclaimed Lucy, looking at Erza with bright eyes. The redhead managed a small smile.

"If more people actually went this year," she said. "Then all my hard work would actually pay off more."

"But the festival is fun, even if it's just the students who attend," said Lucy, looking down. She _did _love the school festival. Every year was always something new and amazing—it was a shame Erza's hard work would be put to waste yet again, only for the students' eyes. When the blonde looked up to say something to boost Erza's attitude, she saw said girl delicately eating strawberry cake a few feet away.

"Uh, excuse me?" asked a voice shyly, causing Lucy to turn around and break from her reverie. "Are you a friend of Erza Scarlet? C-can you tell me where she is?"

Lucy smiled kindly, then pointed to her friend who was trying out some blueberry cheesecake. "That's her," she said.

"Thank you!" said the girl, and rushed up to whisper something in Erza's ear. Titania's expression tightened as she nodded, and the little girl skipped away.

Lucy wondered if everything was okay.

* * *

**A/N: **So! First chapter. Like I said, this is more of a revival for me, because honestly. . . .well, just go to my official update blog. I'll explain it all there. Drop me a question/line there too! I love receiving feedback, it makes me feel like I actually am appreciated. :3 Link's on my profile.

To my old readers who started with the original story and started reading this: Welcome back! Was this rewrite good, or do you prefer the old one? I like this one, honestly. My old writing seems rather immature; I cringe. Also, if anything seems OOC, feel free to tell me because I really haven't been keeping up. (I really need help on this one)

Okay, so for the newer readers: Hi, welcome to you guys too! I've had this idea since May 2011, posted it later that year, and I haven't been keeping up with the FT fandom, so if it seems like I stole your idea, please know that I don't do that. I loathe plagiarism and as an author I would never do such a thing, even if it means warping the idea to make it seem your own. You wanna know how I came up with this bunny? Heh, check my Tumblr. Everything else that needs to be said will be there! So you _must _check it out. :)

Leave me your thoughts through a review and I hope you stick around! :D


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